TYPES OF HOUSE EXTENSIONS
Navigating your way through a house extension can feel quite daunting to begin with. Not only do you have to consider the space you’re going to extend, potential planning permission, access, and the overall cost and disruption, but then there are multiple options on the type of extension you can have. But what’s going to be best for you and your requirements? It helps if you understand what each type of extension is and how it can benefit your home. We are experienced at building a variety of types of house extensions in West London and Berkshire and would like to share our knowledge here by breaking down each type of house extension style to give you a no-nonsense overview of what they are, an average cost in the area we build in, and what it is ideal in order to help you make a positive start on planning your own.
Rear Extension
This type extends, unsurprisingly, to the rear of your property. It is the ideal option if you’re looking to expand your kitchen either to open up a pokey kitchen space or to add a dining or living area within an open plan kitchen. If the kitchen is the heart of your home where the family like to gather and socialise, then a rear extension can be the perfect solution. You have the option to add a sliding glass door or ceiling to floor windows that open out onto the garden or patio which you can really utilise in the summer months during BBQ season. They work well on terraced houses where there is no space to the side of the property. Our average cost of a rear extension comes in at around £40,000
Side Return Extension
If you live in a classic Victorian or Georgian property you may find you have dead space in the form of an alleyway that isn’t big enough to use for anything other than collecting old bits of broken furniture and the like. This space is ideal for a side return extension, which does exactly as it suggests and makes use of this side alleyway space by turning a smaller or darker room into a spacious kitchen or dining room with more natural light as you can install skylight windows into the new roof on the extension. These extensions tend to be smaller as we tend to find there’s a limit of only a few meters of space to the side of the house to work with. However, this does mean they tend to come in on the cheaper end at about £35,000 and you’ll be amazed how much space they create when you utilise it for the inside of your home.
Wrap Around Extension
In a nutshell, a wrap around is a combination of a side return with a rear extension. This mean it extends both out the back and side of your property. The benefit of this is that it offers maximum potential to utilise the ground floor space of your property. It can dramatically alter the shape of your home too, so if you were keen to expand your kitchen to be open plan with more space for the family to gather or a bigger dining space then this is an ideal option.
If you’re a fan of natural light, then this type of extension is also very popular as you can make good use of ceiling to floor glass windows and doors or skylights. The average cost in West London and Berkshire for this sort of extension is about £55,000.
Double Storey
If you find that you’re lacking some space upstairs as well as down, then a double-storey extension is actually much more cost efficient that you might first assume. The bulk of the cost of a house extension is spent on laying the foundations and installing a new roof. So, to add another storey doesn’t incur much more of a cost as you will be paying for the foundations and roof regardless. Good news, eh? This means as well as extending your kitchen and dining area, you can benefit from a larger bedroom, additional bathroom or even a study space or playroom for the kids.
These extensions are typically built onto the rear or side of the property and can have a flat or pitched roof if to the rear and a pitched one if to the side. So there are a number of attractive options for you to consider. They really are an ideal way to maximise your space if you have a growing family or need a separate additional work space at home and they will add value to your home if you decide to sell it. Prices tend to start at £75,000 depending on the scale of extension you require.
Arrow Design and Construction Ltd have years of experience will all types of house extensions in the West London and Berkshire area. We are always happy to chat with you to discuss your options and offer a no obligation free consultation to assess the space you are working with a suggest the most suitable type of extension for your home and lifestyle. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.